


Leave Sooner, Drive Slower, Live Longer

by managerie



Series: McDanno [1]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Current Danny "Danno" Williams/Amber Vitale, Episode Related, Eventual McDanno, First Time, M/M, Past Steve McGarrett/Catherine Rollin, Spoilers, Swearing, season five, spoilers for season five
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-02
Updated: 2015-07-20
Packaged: 2018-04-07 06:25:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4252815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/managerie/pseuds/managerie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Season Five Retelling:The idea being that after their first joint therapy session, Danny pushes Steve to really open up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. No Where To Hide

**Author's Note:**

> My first fic in this fandom.
> 
> Thanks to [Blue_Finch](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Finch/pseuds/Blue_Finch) and [pterawaters ](http://pterawaters.tumblr.com/) for their Beta Reading.  
>  

 

~ * ~

Danny slammed the passenger side door of his car, _his car_ dammit after the first joint session with the shrink. No idea why that lady thought having Steve there was gonna solve anything.

Steve got in, cranked the car, shoved it into drive, and peeled out.

Danny grabbed the O.S. handle, “Whoa, whoa! Easy, easy! Not every journey has be completed in a millisecond, you jagoff.”

Steve didn't even look at Danny, instead his jaw was set and his lips were a flat line of unhappy, constipated face.

Danny sighed, “What now?”

Steve's brow furrowed, “What do you mean ‘what now’? You! You and your mouth got us into therapy, Danny.”

“You’re gonna blame this on me?” Danny squinted into the sun and frowned. “Typical. If you would listen to me when I have a grievance–”

Steve talked right over him. “I listen to you all day long, Danny! l listen to your bitching about Rachel, about rent, about life, about Hawaii in general, and pineapples in specific. I hear your concerns for my plans out in the field, your fears about Grace growing up too fast. I do nothing but listen to you run your mouth all day and night.”

Danny’s head pitched from side to side as he considered Steve’s comment. “You hear me, Steven. You do not listen.” His hands rose up as if to cup an imaginary soccer ball in the air. “If you listened, really listened then I wouldn't feel like I’m talking to a blank wall.” He lowered his hands into his lap with a thud.

Steve narrowed his eyes and grimaced like he bit into a green mango. “What?”

Danny fanned his fingers near his own face, palms toward him as if showcasing his mouth with jazz hands. “You let me run at the mouth." Danny's arms flung forward as if asking the road for advice. "But do you tell me your opinion?” His arms extended in the ‘ta-da’ gesture. “No.”

Danny’s shoulders curled in as his arms turned up in supplication at his waist. “Do you maybe share a story that relates? No. Do you ever open up about anything, at all ever? No.”

Steve looked incredulously at Danny, before returning his eyes to the road. “I tell you what I think you need to hear.”

Danny’s face lit up at that, his eyebrows raised and his mouth formed an O of astonishment. “Oh, really? What about in therapy? You sit there and joke about things that are important to me.” He flailed his arms around then struck his own chest when he said the word me. “You flat out lied to the therapist. You don't take this partnership seriously at all. I’m a joke to you.”

Steve rolled his eyes. “What are you Joe Pesci now? You’ve got a lot of nerve saying I take this relationship lightly.”

Danny began gesticulating wildly during every sentence. “How am I to know how you feel about me? You never say shit. You sit there all stoic, making me memorize faces and body language just to figure out if you’re having a heart attack or indigestion. Jeez, I have to run a full time investigative agency to find out if you like pickles on your burger. You never share anything. It’s like pulling teeth.”

Steve growled, “I don't trust that therapist. She could send what we say to the Governor. She writes that stuff down, Danny.”

In a quieter voice Danny asked, “What about me? You don’t trust me? Is that it?”

Steve pulled over into a small lot near a cove. He put the car in park as the dust swirled around them. “Are you insane? Of course I trust you.”

Danny snorted, “You trust me with your life, with your team, but you don’t trust me enough to talk to me like a friend.”

Steve nearly sputtered, “When have I ever not been there for you? When have I ever given you even an inkling that I don’t trust you?”

Danny turned in his seat to look straight at Steve. “When you left to find Wo Fat.”

Steve turned to his companion as well and rolled his eyes again. “Danny, I told you…”

Danny nearly hopped in his seat with his vehement denial. “No, you did not tell me! No, you left me a god damn letter, Steven. You went off to find the man who killed your Father without me.”

Steve looked out the windshield with a blank expression. “It was personal.”

The blond man swayed in his seat his arms flew so hard. “Yes! So is my custody agreement, so is Grace’s science project. These are personal things that I have willingly shared with you. These are parts of my life that I opened up to you and you make yourself at home. Yet, not once do you return the courtesy.”

Steve had aneurysm face for a few second then said, “That’s not what I was doing.”

“Dammit, Steve!” Danny yelled. “From the very start you pushed me out.”

Steve hotly spat out, “Not true!”

Danny was just getting started. “You left the Navy and joined Five-0 specifically to overrule my authority to investigate your father’s murder. You don’t think that felt like a slight?”

Steve’s shoulders hunched in as if he had taken a blow to the chest. “We didn't know each other then.”

Danny was sympathetic, but he couldn't back down, not this time. This had been boiling under the surface between them for years.  “But we knew each other when you went off to Hong Kong. We knew each other when you flew off around the world looking for answers to questions you have never once broached with me. You keep everything so closed off that sometimes it feels like you just tolerate me.”

“Jesus, Danny.” Steve rubbed his head in frustration. “That’s the furthest thing from the truth. I trust you more than I’ve trusted anyone in my entire life. I trust you more than even my old unit. I trust you more than Joe. Can’t you see that?”

“But you don’t trust me to see your hurts,” Danny said softly. “Your wounds, your emotional scars. You don't even trust me enough to tell me why it’s so important for you to drive my damn car.” He got quiet for a second and sighed. “I know it isn’t the control freak thing I kid you about, babe. You couldn’t be in the military if you couldn’t take orders. I know it isn’t that. So, why Steve? Why?”

Danny’s left hand made a fist then he extended his forefinger and thumb till they were less than an inch between them.”Can’t you trust me with this one little thing?”

Steve wiped his mouth. He looked like he’d been punched in the gut. He got out of the car and paced in front of it. Danny opened his own door and got out. He leaned against the Camaro, arms crossed, and waited on Steve. Danny knew that these things were hardwired into his partner. Between his close-mouthed father and the Navy training Steve was going to need a macramé course to untangle all the knots in his life. Danny was a patient man. Well, patient with the people he loved. If Steve was serious about their partnership then he was going to have to learn to open up about the things that Danny really needed to hear.

Finally, after about five minutes of pacing Steve stepped in front of Danny. “Okay. You really want to hear this?”

Danny nodded.

Steve pointed a finger at him and said, “You better not laugh.”

Danny shook his head.

Steve grabbed the back of his own neck and looked at the ground with his other hand holding his Five-0 badge at his waist. “I know this is irrational ok? I know it. I have actually been to a therapist under a pseudonym to try and get this resolved when I was in my twenties.”

Danny was shocked at this admission, but said nothing as Steven went on.

“I know this is a problem and I know it’s a stupid stumbling block that I should have gotten past by now. But I just can’t seem to… “

Danny opened his arms, walked to his partner and curled his palms around Steve’s shoulders in what he hoped was a supportive and soothing manner. “Hey, hey, babe. Listen.” Steve looked up at him briefly so Danny went on. “I will not laugh. And this isn’t stupid. If it bothers you, if it is something you need, then it is important to me, _to us_. You don’t laugh at me when I need to avoid small, cramped spaces.”

Steve smiled a bit. “Okay. Can we walk and talk? I feel like if I sit still while discussing this I’ll crawl out of my own skin.”

Danny shrugged. “Sure. Whatever you need.”

They took a leisurely stroll down to the cove and Steve cleared his throat. “Okay. You remember that I learned about my mother’s supposed death in my teens right? And that for a long time I just thought she had died in a car accident.”

Danny nodded his head, but his stomach fell. How had he missed how important it was that Steve’s mom was killed in car accident? Some detective he was.

Steve sighed, “So, for a long time I saw cars as this monster that took my Mom. I learned to drive and just refused to let anyone drive me ever. Dad was going out of his mind. Even when Mary wanted her license, I nearly exploded. I couldn’t stop thinking that if I had been with my Mom; if I had driven that day then she would have been alive. So, when we were sent away it was like a validation that I had failed. I failed to save my Mom, and now our family was torn apart.”

Danny stopped him with a hand to his arm. “Steve.”

The taller man just shook his head and looked pained. “I know. Just let me get this out.” They walked a few steps to let Steve get his bearings. “At the academy I took as many driving courses as I could: offensive driving, defensive courses. In the Navy, when I had leave I would take more classes. I have driven for Formula One, Nascar, and even Grand Prix driving schools.”

Steve gave a strangled laugh. “I went to Tokyo for liberty the first time and I didn't even have one shot of Saiki. I was learning to drift race. I became obsessed with being the best driver ever. No one could drive me anywhere.”

Both men stopped at the water’s edge and looked out at the horizon. “When we went to a bar I was the Designated Driver.”

Steve snorted. “That’s another reason I never have my wallet at bars. The DD never pays, so I got in the habit of only bringing my ID to bars. Anyway, I didn't have trouble with commanders or officers driving a truck with me in the back. It was like; I only needed to drive myself in civilian life or for family. I couldn’t even take taxis. It was bad. I went to a therapist and they helped. I started being able to ease up on it a little.” He shrugged. “But then we were stationed in some hell hole and the convoy we were in hit an IED.”

Danny sucked in a breath and Steve swallowed hard. They were quiet for a bit, just listening to the sea slosh and the wind blow. After a while Steve explained, “I know this is Hawaii. I know that you can drive. I know there is very little chance that a bomb is buried on the H1, but when I have to let you drive I just…”

Steve wiped his hand down his face and started again. “From the start I needed to drive your car. You had a family, you had Grace. I couldn’t take a chance with you. It’s like you and the team was too precious to chance it. My unit in the service was all trained and ready to die. They knew the danger. I can’t seem to stop seeing that danger in my home life. I get this hitch in my breath and see my Mom’s car. A piece of paper floats across the road I freeze thinking it’s a bomb. If I am driving I know what to look for. When I drive I know I can get you home to Grace.”

Danny blew out a huge lungful of air. “Thank you. I know that wasn’t easy to tell me. I appreciate that you trust me with this knowledge, with something you see as a weakness.”

“It is a weakness.” Steve admitted.

“No it isn’t.” Danny’s turned Steve around to face him. “It’s classic PTSD. For god’s sake Steve, you spent most of your life waiting for a bomb to explode or training how to stop it from happening. You can’t just turn that off.” His voice got quiet, sincere, but no less earnest. “It kept you alive, babe. It brought you home to me and to Grace. It’s not a weakness anymore than my claustrophobia.”

Steve seemed to accept this with a tiny shrug. They started walking back to the car and Steve said, “I have to confess that learning about your hatred of small spaces so late in our partnership really tore me up, Danno. It felt like a sucker punch to the gut. I always pay attention to you. I would never-”

Danny waved that away. “Hey, it’s not something I want people to know. Okay? I never meant to hurt you.”

Steve bumped shoulders with his partner. “And this therapy thing? Are you really so unhappy with me?”

Danny looked abashed. “No. Absolutely not. She heard me ranting and just assumed it meant I was unhappy. Of course 90% of my rants are either about you or Rachel, so what’s she gonna do? Can’t make Rachel come in. So, here we are.”

They were back at the car and Steve said, “I always figured that I understood when you were really upset about something. When you get serious and quiet, your arms don’t flail nearly as much when you're serious. I try really hard to listen, Danno. I swear.”

The big goof was looking like a kicked puppy. Danny couldn’t take it. “I know you do. My only real complaint is that you don’t care about your life as much as everyone else's.”

The taller man shrugged, “I don’t have a family depending on me, Danny.”

“Bullshit.” Danny nearly exploded. “You have ohana out the ass on this island.”

They smiled at each other and got inside the car. Danny didn't say anything about Steve taking the wheel. As they left the parking lot, Danny had a request. “I need you to be as careful with your life as you are with mine. You need to be there for Grace. Her heart would break if you weren't around.”

“Really?” Steve asked.

As they approached the Palace, Danny reassured his partner. “Uncle Steve isn’t just a word, babe. I told you. I let you into my life and I expect to know just as much about you as you know about me.”

They parked and got out. Steve leaned over the roof of the car to look at Danny. “I’ll try. I promise, Danno. I’ll try.”

They walked into HQ together with Danny raising his arms in surrender. “That’s all I can ask, babe.”

Later, when Steve raced to get the homeless man out of the street and away from the drone he got shot in the thigh. The expression on his face when he told Danny, “I can’t drive” nearly broke the blond man’s heart. Knowing now how being driven made Steve feel, Danny was torn between protecting Steve from emotional distress and completing their mission. Danny joked that he would take the chance to enjoy his own car as he got Steve in the passenger seat.

The shorter man fired at the drone then ran to the driver’s side and got in. He patted Steve on the knee as he spun off. Steve was busy tying off his wound so Danny figured everything was going well. Then Steve complained about Danny’s driving. Instead of bitching back, Danny took a deep breath and floored it. Maybe barking orders would settle Steve’s nerves.

After Jerry saved the day, Danny insisted that Jerry drive Steve home from the hospital. Danny figured Jerry wasn’t as close to Steve and the Van would feel more like being taxied around the island.

Danny was going to go home, pick up Grace and settle in at Steve’s for the night. It was a flesh wound yeah, but still it would be better to stay over. The surprise guest at his house spoiled that plan. But by the end of the day, Marco Reyes was in custody, Danny and Grace were over at Steve’s house to tend to the sick man while watching Lilo & Stitch of course. Tomorrow would sort itself out.

~ * ~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ConCrit is welcomed.


	2. Family Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A kidnapped young girl and Reyes.

 

 ~ * ~

Breaking and entering was a petty crime, but the police had the right to hold a suspect for seventy-two hours without charging them. Danny took advantage of this.

Steve needed to rest and recuperate after getting shot in the thigh. Danny and Grace needed to reassure themselves that Steve was alive and doing fine. So, Marcos Reyes enjoyed the cafeteria food at county lockup for a few days while Danny sorted out his family.

On the morning of the third day he had Reyes sent to Five-0. The blue lighting, handcuffs, and Steve as his backup help calm Danny’s nerves. Those nerves were fried by the time Reyes gave him a figure: 18.5 million dollars. What had Matt done?

The memories of the last time he visited with Matty assailed him. Jeez, Danny had been so happy to see him. He even invited Steve to their lunch. God, it had been great. All the people that he loved around one table; Matty, Grace, and Steve.

By the end of the visit the sadness of Matt’s betrayal had sent Danny spiraling. He had wanted to turn to Steve for comfort, but was afraid that in his state they would have fallen into bed. Danny wasn’t comfortable with his attraction to Steve back then. Things were in such an upheaval that Danny had gone to Rachel’s and promptly committed adultery with his ex wife.

Somehow, Danny let himself pretend that it was what he wanted. That he needed her. In reality all the desire he had expressed with her was really for McGarrett. That became obvious when Steve was accused of murdering the Governor and Danny had to chose between Steve and Rachel.

If Matt had not run off or if Danny had gone to Steve like he wanted then Danny might be married to a Super SeAL now. Instead, his partner had attempted to get serious with Catherine and Danny was desperately hanging on to a twenty-something Amber who only had geography in common with him. Neither of them seemed capable of making a move towards more than friendship now. It felt like their time had come and gone.

It was pathetic and wrong, but those were the choices he had made. Danny couldn’t quite stop blaming Matt for it all though. Especially as Reyes leaned forward and made his threats.

Steve coming in was a relief. Then the call from Chin gave them bigger fish to fry. Child abduction, one of the worst cases a cop can work especially for Danny.

Every child was Grace. No matter how old or what their background. It was like parents around the world had this secret pact with each other. This link that held all children as precious and fragile. To lose one was a loss for all. Danny would be hugging Gracie extra tight after this.

When they found out that Sophie Larkin was the daughter of a SeAL, he knew that Steve was going to take this just as personally as Danny. Grace would be getting double hugs from her father and her Uncle as well as being micro chipped by Steve more than likely.

Having Grover there at the Larkin’s home, validating Danny’s parental worries and educating Steve on what a parent needs at a time like this was especially nice. Danny was starting to warm to the guy even though he might never forgive Grover for tattling on Steve to the Governor.

Talking to the mother was tough. The Navy douche bag there didn’t help. Steve with his heart on his sleeve telling her she was ohana was sweet. Danny knew there was a reason he loved the guy.

 

~ * ~

Dealing with the Naval Intelligence Officer (an oxymoron if Danny ever heard one) brought up some issues for Danny. Steve could be pulled into a mission at anytime. What would happen if Danny needed him and Steve was incommunicado? The idea of being out of touch with Steve like that caused the bile to rise in Danny’s throat.

Steve broke the silence on the ride back to Five-0. “We take an oath, Danny.”

Danny tried to be reasonable and kept his voice down. “I understand that, but this is about the guy’s family. You don’t think he’s got a right to know?”

Steve looked offended at the suggestion. “Of course he has a right to know. Alright? But right now his team needs him focused and ready to lead. You tell him about his daughter you could put all their lives in danger and compromise the entire mission.”

It took a lot of Danny’s patience to keep his cool and speak slowly. “Well, let me tell you something you don’t know. Ok? As a parent, when your child’s in trouble you can sense it, you know about it. Like right now Lieutenant Larkin, he knows that. He doesn’t know why, but he knows it. Don’t you think that puts him and his team in just as much danger?”

“Maybe” Steve swallowed and Danny knew that Steve was going to do another opening up thing. Danny didn’t want to discourage this, Steve was working so hard to undo four decades of repression. Danny was proud of him. The trust and loyalty Steve gifted Danny with everyday was paying out dividends. Danny just waited for Steve to get the words together.

Finally, after nearly a full minute of checking every mirror back and forth, looking between Danny, the road, the side mirrors, and then the rear-view mirror which Danny could kick himself for not noticing how often Steve did that before their talk at the cove.

Finally, Steve spoke again. “Sometimes, sometimes when I’m away from you I get that. I get this kick in my gut and a cold wash of a chill all over my body. I never knew what it was. Usually a few minutes later I find out you are upset or in trouble somewhere without me. I thought it was paranoia or me being fanciful. It’s happened with Gracie a few times too. I thought…”

Danny landed a hand on Steve’s lower thigh near his knee and squeezed. “When you get close to people, it’s like their electrons or atoms start to rub off on you.”

Steve had duck face at that and Danny laughed. “It’s not hocus pocus or spiritual crap. It’s science. You like science.”

He patted Steve’s knee and continued. “I believe we all have energy. We’re made up of the same stuff. Stardust according to Carl Sagan, that becomes a tree or an owl, or a person. So when you hang out with people a lot your frequencies start to align. Like women who start menstruating in sync. It’s just something that happens within a family.”

Steve looked over briefly to make sure Danny wasn’t making fun of him. “I think we also started to do that in the unit. Years working together in really hard times sync up your energies faster.”

Danny removed his hand after patting Steve’s thigh one last time. “Yeah, but time apart starts changing your cycles. That’s probably why I couldn’t believe Matt had changed so much.”

Steve made a face of distaste. “Hey, Matt kept himself away. He started this even before you moved to Hawaii.”

Steve’s right arm was rose up and he pointed his forefinger to the ceiling to make his point. “He deliberately hid this from you and the family while you were still in Jersey. Following Grace here changed none of that. He was doing this behind the backs of your sisters and both your parents. This ain’t on you babe not by a long shot.”

Danny had nothing to say to that, but before they got to HQ, Chin and Kono gave them a lead. They met Grover there, but Ben Sutor had been beaten pretty badly. Whoever took Sophie wasn’t messing around. Two large, grown men in the hospital. What chance did an eight year old girl have? Danny’s heart sank as the minutes ticked on with no hot leads.

~ * ~

Then the kidnappers called the Porters. Maggie was the target not Sophie. Some rich kid gets a bull’s-eye on her back for money and some sleazebag grabs the wrong girl. Kids aren’t interchangeable. For Danny, he would do the same for Grace as he was doing for Sophie. He needed to make sure Eric Porter understood that too.

The ransom was weird and oddly specific for people worth fifty million dollars. Steve knew right away Danny wasn’t feeling right about something. They discussed it on the patio. Something was hinky.

Next thing they knew they were having a shoot out with Michael Wiley: their only lead. Finding that crayon scrawled note with HELP ME written out sent a chill down Danny’s spine.

To top it all off, on the ride back Danny found out Reyes got a lawyer to spring him in a few days. Jerry was recruited to help out on the abduction. And why did that make Danny feel less overwhelmed?

Alan Pollard gave them motive, but not Sophie. Danny thought the subject had changed to the Porters and what they were hiding, but Steve redirected the discussion back to Reyes.

“When you take him to the airport, wear a wire.”

Danny shook his head like a dog. “What? Why?”

The taller man clenched his jaw. “Because that way we have something on him. He wants drug money, Danny. He wants you to take him to his ill gotten gains. A wire will get us a foothold on figuring out what he has in mind.”

“No, Steve.” Danny’s arms crossed in an obstinate fashion. but then uncrossed them to gesture emphatically. “This is about my degenerate brother.”

Steve shot a glance at his passenger, then all the mirrors, his head jerking to and fro in his hyper vigilant manner. “Hey, hey. You said that I had a right to be in your life. You said that you gave me that authority. Your family is my family. You said that correct?”

Danny’s head tilted as he reluctantly agreed, “Yeah.”

“So.” Steve was the one hopping a little in his seat now. “This isn't about your brother. This is about our brother and Gracie’s uncle. That means I now have a right to stick my nose in it. You just said.”

Danny whined, “I know. Alright, alright. Yeah, you have that right.”

Danny raised his hand as if he was being sworn in. “As long you-.”

“As long as I listen to you and when you’re being serious about a complaint I have to heed it.” Steve recited in a sing-song.

“Yeah.” Danny looked off into the distance through the side window. Hearing Steve call Matty our brother was too much. Yeah, Danny wanted that, had been opening up the rooms of his life to Steve since their first case together and Steve had walked through every door with no hesitation. Danny had wanted Steve to be his family for a long time. He had no right to suddenly make Matt off limits especially seeing as how Danny would be thrilled to have Steve be Matt’s brother-in-law. Danny just felt responsible for this situation. If he had shot Matt before he got on that plane...

“Hey?” Steve laid a hand on Danny's stomach. He glanced at Danny then back at the road, checking all his mirrors then looking back to see that he had Danny’s attention.

Finally, he looked at the road, “Hey, if you had shot Matt in the leg he could’ve still boarded that plane. Anywhere else you shoot him and the bullet could have killed him or he could have bled out on the tarmac before help could arrive. Matthew got himself into this mess. The very fact that he made you choose between upholding the law and keeping your brother alive means he's a dick and doesn’t deserve you second guessing yourself. What if it had been me. What then?”

Danny sighed, “You wouldn’t have put me in that situation, Steve.”

“Right.” Steve nodded succinctly. “I wouldn't use visiting you and Grace as a cover to escape from the feds.”

Danny smirked with affection for this goof beside him. “No, you wouldn’t have stolen from retirees; you wouldn't have laundered money for drug dealers.”

“Maybe.” Steve removed his hand and gripped the steering wheel hard. “But I damn sure would have kept my mess as far away from you and Grace as possible.”

They were silent the rest of the way. Danny thinking about how Steve looked out for his ohana in a way Danny had always assumed Matt did as well. To realize that a man who was raised alongside Danny and shared his DNA wasn’t nearly as honorable as the one sitting next to him was sobering.

 ~ * ~

When the kidnappers called at the Porter’s it was a fustercluck of monumental proportions. Why are ransom demands rarely about the money? It’s always personal. Mrs. Porter was the target all along and for good reason. Greed had won out over the life of a two year old baby girl.

In the end though, they managed to get Sophie back to her family. That night Danny and Steve fawned over Grace like two buzzards on a fence. Eventually, Grace rolled her eyes and went up to her room in Steve’s house to text her friends.

Within the span of two days, Danny and Steve requisitioned a wire tap for just outside HPD. No expectation of privacy in the parking lot full of squad cars. When he got out of jail Danny was waiting for him. Reyes took the bait but so did Danny. This scumbag had Matt. Once again it was all about the money for people when at the same time it was all about family for Danny.

Reyes had Matt. Danny was seeing red all the way to Steve's office. Steve started spouting off some convoluted reasoning that Danny couldn’t follow. Danny asked him to speak English.

Steve took a breath. “I was going to suggest rattling his cage and see if he is bluffing, but I got a better idea.” Steve went around to his desk and looked up something on the computer.

He got his cell out and cut his eyes to Danny. “I have a buddy.”

Danny threw his head back and rolled his eyes heavenward. “Oh, you have a buddy.”

Steve mashed the cell phone against his ears. “Would you just listen. He owes me a favor. We have Reyes on tape and my guy works near Columbia. I can see if he can use this information to find Reyes’s hideout. They can scope out the compound, check with the locals for any tall, white guys being bustled around.”

Danny smoothed his hand over his hair.“This is better than rattling his cage?

“Yeah.” Steve gave a short nod “This way we do an end-run around this dickweed. If he has Matt, we now have the evidence to allow the authorities down there to search in every nook and cranny this cockroach managed to find.”

Steve paused as the call connected. Danny threw himself on the sofa. His head ached, his heart hurt. What had Matt been going through these last three years?

Steve’s voice was clipped. “Smooth Dog, the usual number.” He then clicked the call off, opened the phone’s backing, took out the SIM card to replace it with one from his wallet. Danny sat up in curiosity.

Before Danny could ask what this was about, the phone rang and Steve answered it. He wrote something down. He changed the SIM cards back and opened his computer. Danny walked over to see Steve logging into a weird generic email account. Steve went to the compose message section. There was an email already written. It said, “What do you need, McGarrett?”

Instead of sending a message, Steve edited the draft email to say,

 

> **“Calling in my marker. Sending you a wiretap on Colombian drug runner Marcos Reyes. Need intel on possible capture of American citizen named Matthew Williams who laundered money for Reyes, but has been on the lam for three years. Has Williams been captured? Can you shut Reyes down? Williams is my partner’s brother. Consider him ohana.**
> 
> **Thanks,**
> 
> **The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday.”**

Steve logged out and looked up at Danny with raised eyebrows. “What?”

Danny swatted at Steve’s broad shoulders, “What, what? Why didn’t you send that message?”

Steve sat down finally and leaned back in his chair. “Governments can trace emails right?”

Danny nodded and Steve continued. “Well, if you have the password to an email you can check the unsent drafts from anywhere. So, if two people want to communicate, but don’t want to leave a trail they can simply share an email account and check the drafts every day. Simple.”

Danny’s face pinched in disbelief. “Simple he says. What kind of buddy is this that you have to go through some Super Spy training just to get in touch?”

Steve’s face went blank and Danny said it before Steve could, “I can neither confirm or deny. Yeah, yeah.”

Danny sat back down on the sofa. “So, what did you do to earn this favor? Wait, don’t tell me: it’s classified. If you had a friend in Colombia all along why didn’t you contact him the first day I told you about Reyes?”

Steve shrugged, “The Interpol check said he was clean and it wasn’t a big deal then. Now, Reyes claims to have Matt. Reyes made this personal so I am going all out. By the way, I never said he was in Columbia. I said near, sort of.”

Danny squinted. “Steve, if you have some pull with an agent undercover in South America you can’t waste it on this.”

“It’s not a waste.” Steve shrugged. “This is exactly the situation that calls for the big guns. Reyes brought this to our door. I protect my own, Danny.”

Danny’s heart swelled with love and affection. He had originally felt the need to deal with this on his own. To have Steve, his friend and the man he loved, so fiercely protective and proactive was a blessing and a relief. Danny wouldn’t have to carry this burden alone.

Danny and Steve checked the email account an hour later. The draft now said, “Expect Company at 0600.”

The partners agreed to meet back in Steve's office at 5;30 am. They bid each other goodnight.

 

 ~ * ~

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No copyright infringement intend. No Money being made, but some dialogue taken from the episode: s05e02 "Ka Makuakane"


	3. The Last Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Armed Surfers and Clandestine Meetings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next installment of this series will be completed sometime in 2016. Thank you for Reading!  
> No copyright infringement intend. No Money being made, but some dialogue taken directly from the third episode of season five.

 

~ * ~

The next morning Danny was vibrating he was so anxious. Steve laid his hands on the tense shoulders and began to untangle the kinks around Danny’s neck. “Easy, everything's gonna be alright now. When he said Company he meant the CIA you know.”

Danny jerked out of Steve’s grip.”No, I did not know that! Jeez, Steve what have you done?”

Steve sat down in his office chair. “Like I said, we’re using the wire tap to infiltrate and sabotage all of his businesses. The people I contacted are under the radar, but we just handed them a crowbar to lift a rotten piece of fruit like Reyes out of the ground and expose him to the sunlight. If Matt is there then they will find him. Either way, Marco Reyes will be out of business within the next forty-eight hours. “

A man in SeAL fatigues who had unceremoniously opened the door just as Steve finished said, “Exactly, Commander McGarrett. Reyes was arrested last night for terrorism. He threatened an American citizen and attempted to coerce a police officer. He has been placed in isolation and won’t be seeing the light of day for ten years on that alone. By tonight we hope to have every rabbit hole the man ever established surrounded and laid bare. If he has your brother we will find him.”

Danny looked from Steve to the SeAL at the door, to the three men in black suits behind him. No introductions seemed to be forthcoming. Danny extended his hand. “Danny Williams and you are?”

The Commander shook his hand tightly, “Commander Flannery and these gentlemen behind me are Johnson, Thompson, and Watson.”

Danny couldn’t tell them apart, but he figured those were pseudonyms anyway so he just shrugged, “What’s this meeting about then?”

The suits filed in around the office while Flannery sat down across from Steve. “We need to get as much Intel on this situation as possible.” He turned to Steve. “If we could borrow Det. Williams for a few days to coordinate with the team in South America it would be a help.”

Steve nodded. “I’m sure the Governor would jump at the chance to render aid to a federal drug task force.”

McGarrett and Flannery smiled at each other with too much teeth. It reminded Danny of dogs growling over a kill to warn off the competition.

So it was decided that Danny would be requisitioned to the special joint operation between Five-0 and the CIA/DEA. This made the Governor overjoyed. The coup would be a highly publicized feather in his cap. Steve spoke to the Commander privately while Danny and the men in black stood in an awkward silence. Finally, Danny and the four men were off.

~ * ~

As Steve arrived at the crime scene, Grover met him with a question. “Where’s the brains?”

Steve kept walking, but asked,“What are you talkin ‘bout?”

“Williams.” Grover said with a smirk.  “He’s the brains, you’re the brawn.”

“Okay.” Steve accepted this. “What does that make you?”

“Me?” Grover tilted his head. “Come on, man. I’m the pretty face.”

Steve stopped short and just looked at the large man. “So, Brains, Brawn, and Beauty?”

Grover nodded with a laugh.

Steve kept walking, “Does that make Chin ‘ _The Buddha_ ’ and Kono ‘ _The BadAss_ ’ to go with our B theme?”

“That works.” Grover chuckled, “Anyway, where is Mr. short and angry?”

Steve swiveled his head to and fro checking the perimeter. “Danny’s working with a CIA taskforce to help find Matt.”

“Reyes, huh?” Grover asked.

“Yeah.” Steve continued to strut as he explained, “Reyes is in isolation in a Federal prison and will be there for the next ten years or more.”

Grover nodded. “Nice.”

Kono joined them, “Hey guys.”

Steve gave her a Bro nod and said, “Hey.”

Kono just matched stride with them, “So, we’re over here.”  She gestured past the crime scene tape. “Not exactly your picture perfect postcard of a tropical dream vacation.”

Steve slipped under the tape and asked, “What do we know about our vic?”

“His name is Nathan Wagner.” Kono answered her Boss. “He’s President of a major IT security firm specializing in encryption, network administration, and some type of high tech firewall that I’m not even gonna try to pronounce. He’s here for a tech conference. He tried to resist and one of the perps put a slug in his chest. His wife, Monica.” Kono indicated the redhead sitting on the Ambulance tailgate. “Caught a round in the arm.”

The woman was pleading with Chin to have one last look at her husband before his body was taken away. Chin was doing his best to soothe the distraught woman.

Grover figured their resident _Buddha_ had her well in hand. He led Kono and Steve away from the ambulance toward the murder scene and asked, “What about the shooters?”

Kono walked up to Grover with Steve trailing behind her as she said, “Three women, early twenties; a redhead, brunette, and a blonde. They were all wearing bikinis, backpacks, sunglasses, and hats.”

Steve looked out over the crowd of looky-loos. “Well good. That,” He stopped and narrowed his eyes at the tourists that all fit the description, “Really narrows it down.”

Steve started a slow three-sixty around the area. “Alright, so as soon as they got off the bus, they blended right into the crowd.

Kono remarked, “You know these girls are pulling old school stagecoach robberies. It’s a lot of exposure, but they’re also smart.”

Steve turned to her and she continued. “HPD has them hitting four tour buses in the past six months. But they’re switching it up every time; different outfit, different buses, different times and stops. They’ve never hurt anyone.”

Grover made his pessimistic pronouncement, “Yeah until now.”

Steve started distributing tasks to everyone, but then it was discovered by Dr. Shaw that the victim was the target of the robbery. Under A.L.S. it was shown to them all that a big fat X marked the spot on the victim's clothes and only the vic’s.

She really impressed Grover and Steve with this insight. McGarrett tried to squash the little burst of pride for his team. Even the rookies were miles ahead of most seasoned investigators.

This new direction meant Chin was needed to find the why and how Wagner was targeted before joining his fatal bus ride. That meant more talks with the wife.

~*~

Danny was walking Flannery through everything that had happened on Matt’s last visit. The Governor himself was there, shaking hands and smiling while Danny poured his heart out to strangers in suits. It made the Detective uncomfortable, but if this got Matt back on US soil then he was all for it.

Flannery read back a bit from the report, “McGarrett thought Matthew had a boat and informed the authorities about his suspicion, but you figured out Williams had a plane. You wanted to bring him in on your own, less danger of injury?”

Danny nodded, “Yeah, but it never occurred to me that Matt would put me in a position to either shoot my little brother or let him escape. I just….”

The Governor spoke softly, “We trust our family and expect better from them.”

The dark, large man placed a reassuring hand on Danny’s shoulder as he continued in a stronger voice.“What happened on the tarmac was not your fault Detective. You managed to find him first. The very fact that you were willing to aim a gun on your own flesh and blood speaks volumes.”

Danny wasn’t sure if the man was speaking from the heart or trying to put the best spin on this cock-up. It didn’t really matter; Danny soaked the words up to give him strength to make it through this ordeal.

The Governor looked around at the men in black and Flannery, “I’m truly sorry that the honor and courage Detective Williams displays routinely for the state of Hawaii did not pass to his brother.”

He tipped his head to look at Danny again, “None of this is your fault. Frankly, we wouldn’t even be this close without you. I am again taken aback by the professionalism and dedication of one of my officers. Please don’t blame yourself.”

With those parting words the Governor of Hawaii and Danny’s boss left them to finish the report as well as come up with a way to bring Matty home.

Later, Danny used a short break to check in with Steve. He nearly bent over laughing at the story of the Bikini Babes Heist. If a man hadn’t been killed, Danny would have been laughing out right.

Steve then asked how Danny was holding up and Danny just couldn’t keep it together anymore.

He turned toward a wall, staring at decorative tile as he sighed, “It’s all so real now. We started the ball rolling and now it’s picked up speed and mass. What used to be a small lump is now this huge boulder. I’m scared Steve. I’m scared that once we find Matt this whole thing is going to explode into a media circus. My parents won’t be able to show their faces at Tony’s anymore and -”

“Hey, hey. Babe, calm down. This hasn’t gotten any bigger.” Steve interrupted quickly.

Frustrated, Danny bitched back, “Really? I have the Governor and a CIA task force looking for my brother!”

“Danny,” Steve said as mildly yet as gently as he could. “They are looking for your brother only as a means to uprooting Reyes and his gang forever. This isn't about Matthew. This is about a drug cartel that thinks it can mess with the Williams boys. You show them that Reyes was wrong.”

Steve’s voice got soft, but no less full of conviction and earnestness.  “You bring your brother back. Your parents can hold their heads up high knowing that even in this their eldest son is keeping the family name out of the gutter. You got this Babe. I know you do.”

Danny closed his eyes and released his pent up breath. Just hearing Steve’s voice helped, but his partner’s actual words of comfort were like a balm to Danny’s over taxed nerves.

Danny got quiet and bashful, “Yeah, yeah thanks, Boo-Boo.”

Danny heard Steve’s snort of laughter over the line. Then Steve said, “Anytime Partner.”

There was a pause then Steve said with emphasis. “You know I love you right?”

Danny’s heart skipped a beat like some Harlequin romance heroine, but he managed to reply, “Yeah, I know. Back at ya, ya goof.”

They hung up soon after. Danny spent a few more minutes thinking about Matt and the last time Danny heard from him. Except-

Danny just remembered a postcard his little shit of a brother sent right after he split the country. The ‘Wish You Were Here’ in Matt’s handwriting was about as smug and juvenile as you could get. Danny had almost tossed it in the trash, but at the last minute he slipped it into a book at his house. It would probably still be there.

 

~ * ~

Fong discovered that the perps were surfers on the South Shore. Kono was the logical choice to smoke them out; she was a surfer known far and wide. Most people still didn’t know she was a cop. Before Steve and Grover could give Kono her assignment, Jerry stopped by.

Steve wanted to believe him about the antique books store being a front for a counterfeiting operation, he really did. Jerry might be onto something, but the way the long haired man was going about it; illegal surveillance, dumpster diving, and stalking would lead to trouble. As carefully and gently as he could, Steve asked Jerry to back off.

The hurt puppy look nearly made Steve fold, but this was just the way it had to be. Jerry might be sore at Steve right now, but at least he would remain unharmed. Jerry would get over it in time.

Nathan Wagner turned out to be a widower that an employee at his hotel had to have marked for trouble. That meant the ladies had an accomplice and whoever was pretending to be Mrs. Monica Wagner at the crime scene was Suspect Number One.

 

~ * ~

Danny handed over the postcard from Matt. The SeALs and other gentlemen instantly set up a camp near the palm trees pictured on the souvenir. Using ground penetrating sonar they found several duffle bags of money, thirteen million dollars worth.

The Governor was over the moon. It would be announced on the six o’clock news that a joint taskforce of Five-0 and the CIA found laundered Colombian Drug Cartel money. Everyone would look like heroes. All Danny wanted was his brother back in one piece.

Danny asked Steve to decline for him or take his place. The phone was held so tight in Danny’s hand his knuckles were white. Steve soothed him as only he could and promised that he would make sure Danny could just go home and hug Grace.

Steve called the Governor to explain that because of their undercover work; no Five-0 member should be seen on TV. Steve pleaded for the Governor himself to represent Five-0.

McGarrett knew the politician would be ready to jump at the chance to be front and center when the accolades were being handed out. Steve figured he had just earned his crew some leeway for future cases.

 

~ * ~

 

Dr. Shaw got a fright when the fake Monica Wagner used the doctor’s kindness to extract a thumbprint from the corpse. This was all beginning to look like the robbers and the redhead were dealing with separate crimes.

Especially when it was confirmed that Wagner used his own thumbprint as a bio-metric key to safeguard confidential files for his wealthy clients in his cell phone that was stolen by the bus thieves.

So, while the Bikini Babes were just looking for fast and easy cash, Vanessa Hanson, the redhead pretending to be Mrs. Wagner was looking for a huge payday.

Steve couldn’t let it go with Jerry so he called DC to lay this matter to rest once and for all. The return call came in right before Kono managed to grab one of the drowned rats on the South Shore. The Secret Service Agent confirmed what Steve already suspected; Jerry was wrong about the counterfeiter.

In the interrogation room the tough firecracker of a robber was giving Kono a run for her money. She did finally crack when it was revealed that Vanessa Hanson was willing to kill to get what they stole from Wagner, his phone with all the secret encrypted information.

The three girls were just surfing enthusiasts who wanted to ride the waves forever. Getting a job would cut into their board time. They figured that a few stick-ups here and there could finance their beach bum lifestyle. They hadn’t bargained for Hanson’s ruthlessness.

Five-0 managed to save the day again. The cousin of the Bikini Babe in custody was apprehended by Chin as their accomplice who worked as a bellhop. The other two girls were brought in, one with a belly shot courtesy of Hanson that required hospitalization.

Vanessa Hanson didn’t come quietly, but she was eventually handcuffed and sent up for her numerous crimes. All and all, a good day for Steve and his crew. Everyone was meeting up for beers later.

Steve missed Danny and needed to do the paperwork since Danny was on loan. He asked for a rain-check. Everyone smirked at him as they were leaving. Steve could do paperwork, it was just that Danny was better at it.

An hour or so later, Steve’s phone rang. It was the unit in Columbia. They found Matt’s body stuffed in a metal drum. The younger Williams boy had been dead nearly a week before Reyes ever stepped a foot in Hawaii. Steve was crushed. How was he going to tell Danny?

 

~ * ~

  
 


End file.
